Nala and Damayanti

by Kireet Joshi

Illumination heroism and harmony are three major powers that can uplift life to higher and higher levels. It may be useful to explore and illustrate the meanings of these three terms by giving examples of those qualities through appropriate stories. This monograph entitled Nala and Damaynanti could as well have been called the Art of Victory. This ancient story by the poet-Risji Vyasa recounts how heroism guided by wisdom enabled two human beings crushed by adverse circumstances to emerge victorious from a terrible ordeal. Because they were intensely pure and sincere they could even at the worst moments remain open to luminous intuitions they could keep their strength and courage they could let themselved be guided force they placed themselves under its protection and they kept their mind and heart open to its action that force actively present in the themselves be guided at all times by an invisible hand.